The mayor of Toronto has been ordered to resign after being found guilty of violating conflict of interest rules.

Rob Ford improperly voted in a city council inquiry into whether he should repay donations he had solicited for his sport charity, a judge in Ontario, Canada, ruled on Monday.

Mr Ford blamed the finding against him on a crusade by "left-wing" critics.

He said he would appeal against the ruling, which takes effect in 14 days, and he vowed to run for re-election.

"Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose," Mr Ford told reporters at his office on Monday.

"It comes down to the left-wing politics. The left-wing wants me out of here and they'll do anything in their power. I'm going to fight tooth and nail to keep my job as mayor."

Ethical rules 'broken'

The ruling by an Ontario Superior Court justice to eject Mr Ford from office stems from a city council inquiry into whether Mr Ford, as a city councillor, improperly used his staff in 2010 to send out appeals for donations for a football charity he had founded, CBC News reported.